Here’s Your Chance to See Picasso, Andy Warhol, Gauguin and More Famous Works in Asia Now

Kat D'Souza

2 July 2019

These days, appreciating art isn’t exclusive to collectors, artists or high society. People from all walks of life have begun to appreciate art for its sheer magnificence and beauty, and how it has helped shape culture, revolutionise countries, create movements and sway the hearts of many.

We bet some of you might even have a postcard, or a little postcard that displays a quote like this:

Image: TeePublic

But then you also get ones that carry powerful, deep quotes by renowned artists such as:

“Art is to console those who are broken by life.” – Vincent Van Gogh“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” – Pablo Picasso

There could be a multiple reasons why we ourselves are drawn to art: some may like it because it just looks beautiful, while some may like it for the historical value it passes on. Most of the time, it’s because we connect to a visual that may have several different meanings to others. Whatever it is, as artist Thomas Kinkade said, art transcends cultural boundaries.

Now, in celebration of that, it has come to our attention that a couple of spectacular exhibitions are taking place from now until the rest of the year, and … just so you know, AirAsia does fly to all these locations. So weigh your options, and figure out which one you’d like to go for.

1. Picasso — Birth of a Genius at the UCCA, Beijing, China

Image: UCCA

Considered to be the largest and most significant exhibition of the artist’s work ever held in China, we’re absolutely sure that loads of people would be booking their flight and tour tickets to catch real-life Picasso works… who wouldn’t? Just hop on a plane to Beijing and it’s easy as that.

Image: UCCAImage: UCCA

The exhibition, which is specially curated by Emilia Philippot, who is the head of collections at the Musée National Picasso-Paris, offers a comprehensive overview of the first three decades of Picasso’s career and traces his development from childhood to middle age. The presentation includes 34 paintings, 14 sculptures and 55 works on paper.

Image: UCCA

This selection of works produced between 1893 and 1921, tells the story of the creative formation and evolution of Picasso, and is organised in six chapters; The First Picasso, Picasso Blue and Rose, Picasso The Exorcist, Picasso the Cubist, Picasso the Chameleon and the final section comprising paintings and sculptures done between 1927 and 1972.

Image: UCCA

Instead of separating Picasso’s work into different sections and themes, the exhibition celebrates the coexistence of sometimes contradiction in his creative works.

Exhibition date:

Picasso – Birth of a Genius is on display from 15 June to 1 September 2019.

Opening hours:

Monday to Thursday: 10am to 7pm. Last entry at 6.30pm.

Friday to Sunday: 10pm to 9pm. Last entry at 8.30pm.

*On 19 & 20 July, and 24 August, opening hours will be from 10am to 7pm, with last entry at 6.30pm.

Ticketing:

Tickets are available at UCCA’s front desk and official WeChat account. One-time admission tickets are priced at RMB188 (approximately MYR112), and RMB158 (approximately MYR94) for non-holidays.

EXPERIENCE BEIJING: AirAsia offers the lowest fares to over 130 destinations. Book your seats, accommodation, holiday packages and activities now at airasia.com.

2. Floating Utopias at the ArtScience Museum, Singapore

Image: Marina Bay Sands

What are your thoughts on inflatable objects? (not flying objects, but we’ll get to that later). Chances are, you’d be excited at the idea of seeing a hot air balloon, right? Well, if that’s your interest, then head on over to Singapore’s ArtScience Museum for Floating Utopias – a playful and poetic exhibition that explores the social history of inflatable objects, showing how they have been used in art, architecture and social activism over the decades.

Visitors can expect a dazzling visual experience, with over 40 artworks by more than 15 international and local artists including Ant Farm, Tools for Action (Artúr van Balen and Tomás Espinosa), Eventstructure Research Group, Anna Hoetjes, Luke Jerram, Franco Mazzucchelli, Ahmet Öǧüt, Marco Barotti, Tomás Saraceno, Graham Stevens, The Yes Men and UFO.

The impressive impact of inflatable objects will be conveyed through eight large-scale air-filled sculptures, which will be suspended in the galleries, creating a series of dramatic spectacles along the route of the show.

Floating Utopias will be presented in five chapters: Balloon Fever, Display and Disrupt, Bubble Architecture, Solar Sustainability and Vertical Exploration. An example of this would be SurvivaBall (2016) by The Yes Men, a series of inflatable suits that may look humorous and playful but carry a serious message about how humanity might have to prepare for future climate disasters.

Tickets are available for purchase from all Marina Bay Sands box offices and website. Prices are SGD19 (approximately MYR57) for a non-resident, and SGD16 (approximately MYR48)for Singaporean residents.

EXPERIENCE SINGAPORE: AirAsia offers the lowest fares to over 130 destinations. Book your seats, accommodation, holiday packages and activities now at airasia.com

3. Barbara Kruger: Forever at the Amorepacific Museum of Art, Seoul

Image: Amorepacific Museum of Art

Barbara Kruger, one of the most influential contemporary artists, communicated with the world in her unique visual language of juxtaposing black and white photographs with bold type. This exhibition at the Amorepacific Museum of Art is the first for Kruger’s exhibition in Asia, and coincides with the museum’s first anniversary.

The exhibition displays 44 artworks by world-renowned conceptual artist Barbara Kruger that reveal over 40 years of her oeuvre, including all major works. So, if you’d like to see an artist who has worked on various forms but has still stuck to her consistency and originality, this is it.

Image: Amorepacific Museum of Art

‘Plenty should be enough’ is a recurring phrase in the artist’s works. By including the sentence in her artistic practice, she turns a critical eye toward consumerism and desire. This work is featured in both English and Korean, and displays the sheer power of words not only in meaning but also size (it takes up an entire wall).

Untitled (The latest version of the truth), 2018. Image: Amorepacific Museum of Art

Kruger’s most recent work in the show is the vinyl print Untitled (The latest version of the truth) (2018), and might make you consider the reality of truth…especially when it comes to what’s happening in the world, socio-politically speaking.

Exhibition date:

Barbara Kruger: Forever is on display from now until 29 December 2019.

Opening hours:

Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 6pm. Closed on Mondays.

Ticketing:

Admission is free.

EXPERIENCE SEOUL: AirAsia offers the lowest fares to over 130 destinations. Book your seats, accommodation, holiday packages and activities now at airasia.com

4. Art Macao in Macao

Sacral / Edoardo Tresoldi. Image: Fabiano Caputo

Now here’s what we call a mega festival: Macao’s five-month international arts and cultural event, which celebrates the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, as well as the 20th anniversary of the Macao Special Administrative Region establishment.

Art Macao offers exhibitions of many masterpieces, displaying remnants of the past and new creations of this century on the streets and inside museums and galleries. It also invites visitors to listen to timeless symphonies and the sounds of today, and to watch exceptional dance performances. The perfect fusion of Eastern and Western cultures.

One highlight includes GRACE KELLY: From Hollywood to Monaco – Artists’ Tributes wherein the exhibition traces the story of legendary movie star Grace Kelly (1929-1982). It showcases how artists like Andy Warhol and Alfred Hitchcock were inspired to create their works with her as their muse.

Image: On stage 2019/Stephené Bolongaro

Another exhibition by famous French sculptor Gabrielle Wambaugh is also taking place, where the essence and introspection of contemporary western art in the works is combined with eastern traditional art. With the hidden truth instantly revealed through space, the exhibition showcases the daring tendencies of exploration in the new era.

Image: Coin du Jardin/Paul Gauguin

Plus, a true art aficionado wouldn’t miss the chance to see a Gauguin painting in person! Don’t forget to also catch the other music festivals taking place at the same time.

For ticketing, time and date information, visit Art Macao’s official website here, as different shows are up for different prices, while some are free.

In the meantime, why not book your flight and plan your itinerary?

EXPERIENCE MACAO: AirAsia offers the lowest fares to over 130 destinations. Book your seats, accommodation, holiday packages and activities now at airasia.com